Do you ever feel like you are careening from one subpar day to the next? What do you do when your life is out of control? What are you sacrificing? What are you giving into—having a title, initials behind your name or so much money in the bank that you are wealthy beyond words? But is it worth it all?
Never Enough Time?
When your emphasis is only on financial assets, life quickly goes out the window and Lifestyle Deficit Disorder (LDD) takes hold. It’s easy, even for me, one with a high commitment to keep my LDD under control, to slip into a “relapse.” It happened post-Everest. It’s easy to lose control of the very things we long to hang on to, especially when those “things” are in your grasp and you “have them.” We take much for granted that is close and near. A crisis of time, for me, is the siren of LDD. They operate in tandem. This is true for everyone I work with who is brave enough to admit they have LDD. Every minute goes toward building your business, instead of crafting your life and then building a business that fits around it.
When you fixate on a dollar value and believe that number holds the key to your happiness, you become preoccupied with the wrong thing. You obsess with reaching or losing that amount.
With the pressure to maintain a certain numeric level of earnings, you spiral into thoughts like “What if I don’t hit my revenue targets? What if I don’t get the right contract or the next client?” Will the world really stop turning, but what if you miss your daughter’s next ball game or the more subtle miss of that small nuance or shrug of a loved one, opening a door to a closer connection?
One casualty in this “race car” society is our relationships.
I’m determined to make more time for my girls-yes, at the expense of other relationships or my next favorite client. You have seen me write about this before. They are both in their in their high school years. Spending time with them is like cash in the bank that it feels like I may not have as much of in 2 years.
There’s not enough money available to pay me to cash out my investment in their lives. But each day, I talk with people who have literally worked through and past their family’s future and there is a heavy price to pay.
You are probably in Good Company
You may falsely believe if you want to experience success, you must over work, under sleep, and burn the candle at both ends. But all you do is set yourself up for burnout. You’ll end up missing the most important part of life—the value of “being there” for others.
Sometimes, I’m reminded of the country of Bhutan and the people who live there. It’s billed as the happiest place in the world. Number nine on the list of lifestyle habits of the Bhutanese is being well-rested and content with what they have. Not racing or pushing for more!
This marks their overall well-being. They are not stuck in traffic. They are not commuting into the office. They are not sitting with cell phone screens on in front of them all the time. They are NOT keeping up with the “Joneses.” They are in nature, practicing their faith and enjoying life, mostly with their families.
If monetary wealth is all you are after, then you are in good company in most of the world. That is the name of the “game” for many today. But be forewarned, money does not bring happiness. In many cases, money actually can cost you happiness.
Life Really is Fleeting
If overall happiness is what you are seeking, invest in a different life plan—one that is rooted in core values and nurturing balance among your critical assets. The framework to cure LDD and stay on a path of LDD remission is right within your grasp. The plan is a Perfect Day plan.
You see, days are not perfect but when we are living for something and someone more than ourselves, all that comes together is perfect in its timing. Do you have time to be full of joy?
Honestly, we are never truly cured of LDD. You don’t go into remission and never worry again. You will always need to be connected to the idea that LDD could be lingering right around the corner, and you must remain ever vigilant so that you don’t allow the walls around you to come crashing in.
Everyone’s Perfect Day is very personal—I can’t tell what yours entails, but I can tell you that an integral component of any Perfect Day is personal and professional growth, in tandem with gratitude.
There’s a Solution that Works
So, how do you craft a day that is “perfectly okay” even when all around you seems to be way off course? By being brave and taking a step back. A pattern interrupt. A commitment to something different. A deeper love of self for the benefit of all around you–even your staff, clients and co-workers. Set your eyes on the prize of more Perfect Days begins with finding the places you need to grow and be willing to do the hard work. A bestie recently reminded me that the best things in life are hard. They are. #AND, they’re worth it.
Perfect Day is a concept that works. I would like to show you how it is done. Connect with me and let’s get started.
Download my free book, Perfect Day: A Guide to Curing Lifestyle Deficit Disorder and Reclaiming Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your Life. Better, Let’s CONNECT: What will 15 minutes cost you?
About The Author: Cokie Berenyi
Cokie Berenyi has been in financial services and serving the needs of individual and institutional clients and entrepreneurs since 1996. Mother, author, business owner, financial “samurai” and Perfect Day engineer, Cokie loves food, wine, travel, stray dogs, goat cheese, tennis, and alpine mountaineering.
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